Eric Elbogen is the spinal chord of Seattle's lo-fi rock project Say Hi (never forgotten as the former best band name ever: Say Hi To Your Mom). An album prior to this newest Oohs & Aahs, Elbogen dropped the mom reference and toned up his mature attitude. If audiences can’t settle for less Star Trek references, well then that’s just too bad. Oohs & Aahs doesn'’t skip a beat of outer-space-pop goodness. "Elouise" opens the album with a floating beat. Echoed vocals carry listeners through the chorus on a cloud. Elbogen describes Elouise, a soft voice over the airwaves that every boy thinks he deserves. On "Hallie and Henry," a thumping electric drum kit makes everything about the song catchy. The chorus is a tongue twister of words with the lyrics "But now Hallie's gonna pop unless that Henry learns to stop/ With all his double dirty downer looking on/ It's like he's living in a rock/ Or like he's mopping up the floor with his head while the mop watches on." Our singer bashes through his words without exhausting a single breath. This is one you've got to try to keep up with. The synth-loded "Maurine" kind of feels like a sad little high school crush. "But Maurine, I can't come to your party," he sings "I hope it goes well / I hope your dad's good/ I hope you've got presents/ That make you pretty happy." The album closes with "Sallie's Heart is Stone" a freaky and much slower track. Bewitching vocals that would put Thom Yorke himself in a trance are the best part. In and out of clarity Elbogen's vocals are ghostlike atop conflicting guitar chords. If you loved Say Hi To Your Mom, then don't let this new persona cause any skepticism. Oohs & Aahs maintains all the sounds that have always been loved. With an evolved sense of lyrics and notions some things about Eric and his music have transformed (i.e. quirky Buffy The Vampire Slayer references). But what most importantly hasn't been affected is his ability to pump out awesome tunes like its no one else's business. And you can definitely tell that to your mom. Say Hi official website: http://www.ilikesayhi.com/ |
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